Iron and Lace
by PatheticallyKingly
Summary: Gajeel Redfox is bored with his court. It's as simple as that. However, when he notices a certain blue haired maid, things start to get a bit more exciting for the grumpy royal. Royal AU and all that. Have at it.


**Because I owed eqqlo (on deviantart and tumblr) something like this about a year and a half ago but I never got around to it. 'cause I'm scum. Yeah. Prince!Gajeel and Maid!Levy. This is gonna suck so bad. Holy shit I'm sorry in advance. **

**Based around her piece here. **

~X~

1: The Court

The grand iron banisters reflected the warm lights of the torches, giving the great hall in which he sat a homely feeling. Orange light seeped in through the stain glass windows that lined the ceiling, enhancing the mood even more. The orchestral arrangement in the center of the court had picked a soft, lilting tune to match it. People were strewn about the hall, soft conversation and merry laughter mixing in an unexpected harmony.

Yet to Gajeel, the court may have just as well been empty.

He sneered at nothing in particular from his throne, the false laughter and gossip grinding on his nerves. If he had his way, he'd be sparring with his knights right about now, perhaps even doing something, dare he say, productive. But no, a prince must keep appearances; even if that appearance was the visage of a growling dragon, in his case. A look that hardly went unnoticed by the party goers. He could feel the nervous glances being cast his way. To these people, he was nothing more than a scornful royal; somebody that could throw them in a dungeon if he felt they looked at him wrong.

The idea entertained him, but he would never do anything of the sort. He was simply a grump, not a sadist.

He paused a beat, his sneer grew sharper when he realized he had just referred to himself as a grump. Gods above he hated being shoehorned into these parties.

He eyed the clock embedded in the iron tower in the center of the court, it's hands approaching midnight. He let out a sigh of relief as the clock struck 12; he could finally put an end to his internal suffering. He stood up, adjusting his red coat as he cleared his throat. The noise carried across the court, all eyes focused directly on him. He took a breath, no doubt about to say something regal and princely.

He ripped a piece of iron off his throne and popped it in his mouth, chewing it as if it were candy as he sat back down. "Get the fuck out."

To his credit, he said it as regally as one could.

The crowd stared in awe, some who were familiar with such gatherings shuffling out nervously, while others who were relatively new to the Redfox court stood still. They were completely stricken at how some snot nosed brat had just told them so crassly to-

Gajeel stood up and swallowed, another piece of iron in his hand. "Pardon me, it seems some people didn't hear me," he cleared his throat again, "I said...get the fuck out!" He roared, his eyes turning wild.

And with that, any sense of composure was gone as people attempted to pile over each other to exit the hall. Some leaving their gaudy shoes behind, while others attempted to carry out snack trays in the chaos. Gajeel grinned at the scene; sometimes, he didn't mind his birthright too much.

~X~

She was as shocked as anybody else at how the Prince had ended the party. She had no idea the person she'd be serving would be so...unprincely. She had many other words to describe his attitude, but she was a maid. It wasn't her place to make such judgement on royalty.

Even so, Levy couldn't help but mutter, "What a jerk," under her breath as she and the other maids and butlers began cleanup.

She was gathering up the silverware and plates that hadn't been stolen in the rush when she felt a presence behind her. Thinking it was just another maid, she minded her own business, gathering up as many plates as she could. The sharp tug on the back of her uniform informed her otherwise. She dropped the plates she was holding, the court ringing with their destruction. She almost yelled at her aggressor, but when she turned around, she held her tongue.

It was a party goer who had yet to leave. He was a small, portly man, only barely taller than her. If she had to guess, he was probably a Lord or Baron of the sort. She crossed her hands in front of her, putting on her best fake smile. "Is there something I can help you with, sir?"

The portly man said nothing, simply grabbing her by the wrist as he attempted to drag her with him out of the hall.

Now, Levy was a maid, but she wasn't about to stand for something like that. She ripped her arm out of the man's grasp, causing him to fall flat on his face. She stopped where she was and resumed her previous position, her fake smile becoming more strained with her anger. "Is there something I can help you with, sir?" She couldn't stop the annoyance in her tone, not that she cared at this point though.

She glanced around her, hoping her coworkers somehow intervene to get her out of the situation. To her dismay, they all acted like nothing was happening. Some even had a look disappointment. This confused her, but her attention was quickly pulled back to the portly man.

"You bitch," he slurred, "Do you know who I am? I am the Duke! How dare you embarrass me in such a way!" He glanced to the guards next to the door as he pointed at her. "Guards! Get this wench out of my sight!"

The guards didn't move though. In fact, nobody moved. The only person who actually did anything was the sneering prince who had somehow strolled his way up next to Levy and placed his elbow on her head, leaning on her slightly.

Gajeel picked his teeth, not paying the slightest attention to the quivering maid underneath him or the surprised man in front of him. When he finally dug a piece of iron out from between his gums, he looked at the man, a bored look on his face. "So tell me, piggy: what's the name that follows after that title?" He flicked the iron towards the small man, the flecks sticking to the center of his increasingly sweating forehead.

The man stammered, but whatever he was about to say was cut short. Gajeel picked him up by the collar of his suit effortlessly. He brought the man close, his eyes narrowing. "Too slow, piggy." He punched the man, sending him flying through the court doors which the guards had just opened.

Gajeel wiped his hands on his coat as he looked down at Levy. "And you," he started, causing Levy to jump slightly, "you did good." He patted her on the head before exiting out the door, stopping to tell the guards something. He pointed at the twitching man near on the floor in the entry way and then pointed back toward Levy, a rather manic grin on his face. The guards nodded, one dragging the man while following Gajeel, while the other approached her.

To say she was confused was an understatement. Had she not acted disobediently toward a guest? She thought for sure that she was going to be clapped in irons, but no. She got a pat on the head from the prince and told she did good. "What kind of court is this?" she muttered.

The guard snapped her out of her reverie, his demeanor cold and unchanging. "Miss, starting tomorrow, you are to be Gajeel-sama's personal attendant. You are to report to his chambers tomorrow morning at 10 AM sharp."

~X~

**And that was really just the set up. I have more, but I feel it would crowd if put more here. So, I'll diverge it into a relatively short story rather than a shot. Here's to my first time writing Gajevy, yeah? I hope I didn't fuck up too bad.**


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